President Obama Delivers Statement On Ukraine
WASHINGTON (CBS13) -- President Barack Obama is delivering a statement to the country Thursday morning on the situation in Ukraine.
In an interview with CBS News on Wednesday, the president stated that the U.S. will not take military action. However, Russia's aggressive actions in Ukraine's Crimea region have forced western nations to threaten Russia with escalating sanctions.
President Obama noted in his short statement that the U.S. will be moving to make more sanctions against Russia for their actions in Crimea. He noted that these new sanctions will be targeting senior officials of the Russian government, other individuals who provide material support for Russia, as well as a bank that helps provide support.
However, President Obama announced that he had signed an executive order that would allow the U.S. to impose more sanctions against key sectors of the Russian economy -- sanctions that could also be disruptive to the global economy as well.
"We want the Ukrainian people to determine their own destiny," President Obama said, noting that Ukraine shouldn't need to choose between East and West.